Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-26
GREAT BANK ROBBERY.
A Romance OF the Metropolis FOUNDED
Upon Notes From the Diary
Of Inspector ByrHes.
BY JULIAN HAWTHORNE, AUTHOR or
GARTH" ETC, ETC.
[Copyrighted, 1881. by o. NJ. Durham
~u.pTrI "

CHAPTER ".
When the magnitude of the SUM take
from the Manhattan Savings Institution
by the mysterious burglars BEGAN
known the sensation created was prOfount
and widespread. The great robbery wa
the talk of New York, and indeed OF III
whole country. That so vast an amour
of money should have been abstracteC
from the vaults Of one of the oldest anG
best guarded banks in the city, in broaC
daylight, ard practically in full view O
the entire population; that this should
have been done and no trace of AM
OF the perpetrators remain was
fact appalling enough to brighten the bold
est, Bankers, brokers', merchants, jew
elers and tradesmen asked them
selves seriously whether any Sc
curity wGs possible against the 6ia-
5o-ical cunning and ingenuity OF trained
burglars, The strongest doors gave way
before them like magic. They seemed to
possess the power OF rendering them
selves invisible at will. Where and how
was security to be found? Under these
circumstances, the efforts Of the police to
capture the unknown criminals were
watched with no ordinary or transient
interest.
Meanwhile, the head of the detectives
returned to his Office and committed 10
writing the present results of his investi-
cation into the great mystery. There
was certainly small ground for encourage.
ment so far; but the inspector wss one
of those men who knew how to wait as
well as to watch, After finishing his re-
port, and carefully considering he mat
ter II all its bearings, in his minG, he
gave directions to have all the witnesses
VINO had been discovered brought before
MIN.
The first Of these to appear were the
IanitOr, Werkle, and his wife, and they
were subjected TO q close Cross-queStion-
ing. They told substanti lily the same
story thst has been already related.
Their testimony developed very little
that was new, and nothing that was both
new and important. But their appear
snce and bearing were suCl that it was
difficult 20 suppose them capable of
criminal deceit. They were evidently
persons o. very ordinary intelligence, &C
custOmed TO low sphere of life, and
with no ambition TO rise above it, either
honestly or otherwise, There was no
trace in their bearing Of desire to con-
Ceal anything: on the contrary, their
tendency TO pour OUT words on all sub
jects, both relevant and irrelevant, had 10
De restrained rather than encouraged, IL
the fact that Werkie had been entrusted
by the 0Enk officials with responsibilities
Of such magnitude WAS strange, it would
have been been still stranger had men
who contemplated q colossal robbery
taken such feeble person into their con-
htence WerkIe's own story, in short,
had more inherent probability. -han any
that could be substituted for il. Never
theless, the keenest Judge OF character
may sometimes be misl-a, and the In
spector did not allow his impression as
10 the WeTkles TO appear on the surface.
He impressed upon them the gravity Of
their situation, and they departed il The
'lelef that the law had it's eye upon them
NGt might have something further to say
tnthem lster on.
{ +Hohlmsn, the barber, was the next wit
ness, and MS evidence brought TO light
one or TWO noteworthy points. One OF
these was the TACT that he was always in
the shop by 8 quarter before seven, and
that this Sunday morning had proved no !
exception TO the rule. Now, as his shop |
wss directly underneath the bank, any |
noise made above was audible to him; he |
the jsnitor's footsteps moving about in |
his daily morning avOcetions, But on |
this occasion he had heard nothing |
81 all, or at Sll events nothing IN
usual and since the process of breaking /
into safe is something from which |
noise, and noise of very noticeable /
kind, is insepaTsble, il would seem TO
follow assuming MS story 10 be true |
thst the heavy part of the robbery, ct
least, must have been accomplished be-
lore he entered his shop. Werkle's tes-
IimOny proved, OWever, that the rob
beTs could not nave got to work bsfoTe
quarter past at the earliest, and this
eft no more than half an hour or possibly
forty minutes for the operation.
If the burglary had shown evidence OF
rare professional skill on the burglars
part, The discovery that all the work had
been done in half an hour proved them to
10 be cOnsummate masters of their craft
and amply accounted for the fact that
thev had left some of the safes IN
touched. Nearly - 0O0,OCe in thirty min
Utas was an excellent rate OF income,
sud might easily have sal tied so exact
ing 8 person as & New YORK bank burg
lar Moreover; the bundles of bonds and
securities must bSve D. en- rather trouble
some TO carry, and il was PROBABLE that
the thieves had loaded Themselves to the
OF prudence and could not safely have {
taken away any mo I. Indeed il Was
standing marvel that they should have
we iked away, unchecked and unseen,
WITH soFnuch
Another point Of possible Importance |
III lie barDer's testimony was introduced |
BY an occidental slluSiOn made by MIN 20
the unknown gentleman who had followed :
WerkIe down 10 his saloon Kohlman !
-0nld give no exact description of this I
stranger, beyond that ne was rather above s
ne medium size, wss of 8 sentIemanly
appearance, snd wore g large amethyst /
ing on his finger. There was J.
lothing remarkable IN his having entered t
N41lman's shop; any one has 9 Tign- TO c
walk into G 5arber's saloon, even II ne I
walk out again without prohdng oy the b
2&~5er's professional assistance, aud ii 6
vas quite natural That this gentleman Z
lOuld have been interested IN the isDi- y
or story IN q purely eostrsct and i'm 5
'eTs0nat wGy. Nevertheless, every sra7 Z
nay nave It's value IN case SO mYS- c
e-iOuS IS the present, and the Inspector I
made 9 note of the msn with the amethyst s
-ag. lie might be useful, !! for nothing D
lse, IS s witness TO confirm the testi e.
lCny of WeEkle and the barber. p
TIE latter was now dismissed, and II
opple of police officers were admitted D
7ho bsd been II the ueiahb0rh0Od OF the 81
ank ct the time of the robbery. Ore of u
1ese vas the man who had seen q person o.
nom he took for the janit0r busting the al
ITGiture in the outer office II shout half II
Tr TTsg.v 70 1fCn